How Recruiting People With Disabilities Solved Toyota’s Costly Problem
Toyota Motor North America’s Gorgetown, Ky., plant needed to add a production process to install exhaust hangers, but existing staff couldn’t handle it. A quality circle recommended using a group of employees with developmental disabilities to assemble the brackets. Toyota Motor North America is No. 41 in the 2012 DiversityInc Top 50.
It took 18–24 months to create a safe work environment and educate existing employees about working with the new crew. The results:
- Overall employee engagement increased, as did awareness of people with disabilities
- The new employees reported great pride in their jobs
- Two seconds were shaved off the production process
- Community and public relations were improved
Watch the full “iCARE Associate Volunteer Program & Putting Workers With Disabilities on the Line” presentation below. View all the DiversityInc Innovation Fest! presentations at DiversityIncBestPractices.com.
Presented by: Dave Orrender, Assembly Manager, and Tim Turner, Assembly Safety Team Leader, Toyota Motor North America.
